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FOR TODAY October 6, 2008... Outside My Window...the sun has set, but there is still a hint of pink on the horizon. It’s been fairly windy lately; it’s fall after all. I am thinking...I could really use a bread knife. I made bread and then realized I didn’t have a knife to cut it with. It’s just not the same if you try to use a straight edge knife and the only serrated one I have is a paring knife. (Dh got home before I posted this and had found me two bread knives at Goodwill.) I am thankful for...leadership that is genuinely concerned about our support level and is willing to get personally involved. From the kitchen...I’ve been having fun trying different recipes and so far they all seem to have gone over fairly well with the rest of the family. I am wearing...blue jeans and a green v-neck t-shirt. I am creating...materials for a letter A lapbook. Princess sooooo wants to do school work and I figure this is a good way to start. She loves looking at the scrapbooks I make, so I figure she will have fun with this too. I am going...to give Care Bear a shower when I’m done typing here. As usual she has managed to get something sticky in her hair. I am reading...various websites and blogs. I’m in between books right now. I am hearing...Buddy and Care Bear playing. The Little Guy is fussing a little and wants to be picked up. Dh and Princess are out right now. He has decided to start taking her out on a ‘date’ each week before taking her to Cubbies. Around the house...need to do some cleaning tomorrow. I’m working on teaching Buddy to clean the bathroom (most of it anyway). One of my favorite things...probably my absolute favorite is cuddling with my husband. A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: I want to try getting back to the used book store. It’s going to be a short week here at home because we will be going on a short trip to visit more friends and supporters. Pray for dh as he tries to work out all the details. Here is picture thought I am sharing...  My sister and I wanted to get a picture of the two little guys in their matching outfits. When we sat down for the picture we realized they were not the only ones matching. |
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Buddy is doing so well with his reading. He can pretty much read any of the Hooked on Phonics Kindergarten readers now. He’s even feeling confident enough to read to Daddy now. I’m still having him read me one story each day in ‘school’ though, because he’s not reading them as easily as I would like before we move on to the next level. I’ve read so many places about not pushing the reading too fast and making sure they are comfortable before moving on so that they aren’t scared off from reading. I need to look into ordering more readers for him so that they are here by the time we are ready.  The Little Guy has reached another milestone and has started eating solids. How time does fly! So far he has enjoyed peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, rice cereal and oatmeal. Like each of the others, he’s not real excited about plain cereal (rice or oatmeal) so I usually mix it in with his veggies. Tonight was the first night he ate a whole serving (stage1 container) at one sitting. Hopefully it will help him sleep better. I think he’s going through a growth spurt because he’s been waking up early wanting to eat. Right now we are just sitting him in the car seat on one of the dining chairs for a high chair. We’ve had several people offer to loan us one, but since we have so little space in our dining room I don’t want to bother with one until he is ready to do finger foods.  I am also excited because a friend is going to loan me a sewing machine. I know, I’m addicted, but it is so much fun and my kids need clothes right? This friend has also asked if I want to take some fabric and patterns off her hands. Let’s see, free fabric and patterns too; do you really have to ask? I am looking forward to getting started on Princess’s fall wardrobe. My first project will be a new winter dress for Princess. She always gets so excited when I start making her new dresses. Right now she has a cardigan to wear over her sundress which works well; especially since it has usually warmed up significantly by the time church is over. I have pictures of the girls summer dresses on our website if you are interested (www.scottandsarabeth.com). |
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Outside My Window...again it is dark now, but it has been another beautiful sunny day. It threatened thundershowers several times this week, but nothing ever came of it. I am thinking...I am too tired to really do much thinking. It has been a really long week. Even though we only moved a couple miles up the road, it still meant a lot of busy days, late nights, and unsettled kids. I think the kids are starting to settle in here. We just need some quiet, normal days without any running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I am thankful for...a nice apartment to call home for now and for being at 78.7% of our support. From the kitchen...I think I finally have all the kitchen paraphernalia needed to cook or bake whatever. I’m hoping to do some bread baking. I am wearing...the same thing I was in my last daybook entry - blue jean capris and a blue patterned T-shirt. I am creating...a home. I know we’re only planning to be here a few months at most, but this is the first time I’ve had my own house in two years. I am going...to work on building my milk supply tomorrow. The Little Guy has woken up hungry during the night a couple times this week. I’m also starting him on solids. I am reading...an online book by Judith Bronte. (http://acacia.pair.com/Journey.of.the.Heart/index.html) She has some interesting plots and addresses some tough issues in her stories. I am hoping...to get some sleep this week (maybe even a nap or two). I am hearing...the news my husband is watching, the hum of the computer, cars going by on the street. Around the house...just settling in and figuring out where to best put everything. One of my favorite things...is holding my Little Guy while he is sleeping. A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: I plan to take it easy and just work on establishing a routine here in the new house. Here is picture thought I am sharing...
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FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2008...|
This week has been one long emotional roller coaster. Last week we had absolutely no idea where we would be living this next week. It’s actually only been 4 days since God started opening the door and showing us the next step. Why does He always seem to wait until the last minute? Then of course there are always the questions of why He chose not to provide through His people (several people knew of possible places, but they were always too small or too far out of the way) and instead used a random Craigslist rental ad? What connections, ramifications, etc. are going on ‘behind the scene’ that I don’t see? Why do both radio stations have to have major break downs whenever we're in the middle of something like this? What’s he trying to teach us; or is the main lesson for someone else? Whatever it is I just keep reminding myself that He does have a plan – for my good and that of my family. The apartment He has provided is a 3-bedroom, 1-bath in a 4-plex with a nice big fenced backyard. Most importantly, they are willing to do a short-term month-to-month lease with utilities included. Dh is looking forward to having an office instead of working out of the living room. They’ve been working on renovating all of the apartments, so we are the only tenants right now. It’s even more centrally located to all our friends and supporters than the place we’ve been staying, so that is a big plus. The only downside right now is that the laundry isn’t working. There is a leak in the ceiling that needs to be fixed before they install the new washer and dryer. Dh has offered to help them with that to hopefully speed up the process. In the meantime, a friend has suggested we have regular play dates at her house so I can do laundry there while the kids play. As I write this Dh is out rounding up furniture and delivering it to the new apartment. It is exciting to see how God is taking care of that need. Dh only sent out the email this morning telling what furniture needs we had and already God has provided most of the list; even things that I didn’t really expect to get. How many people do you know that have a dining table with 6 chairs sitting in their shed or an extra brand new microwave? The kids are excited about moving to a new house. They ‘worked hard’ all morning getting their toys and books packed. Of course a lot of them are unpacked now. They want to sleep over there tonight and I keep reminding them we don’t have beds yet. Besides, the internet doesn’t get switched over until Tuesday and Dh can’t go for long without that. I have to admit I’m a little addicted too. There’s nothing like being without internet for a few days to make you realize just how much you use it. Well, I must go help load the car so we can take another load over. We have way too much stuff, but with 4 kids and having been ‘outside’ for 2 years (that’s 2 Christmases, 8 birthdays, and a baby) it’s difficult to minimize. |
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This is supposed to be done on Mondays, but I have no idea where Monday went this week.
FOR TODAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2008... Outside My Window...it is dark now, but it has been a beautiful sunny day. The kids played outside most of the day and we even took a walk after supper this evening. I am thinking...I need to learn more about html code so that I can improve my blog and help more with our own website. I am thankful for...a husband who is willing to take the time to teach me about computer and websites, etc. From the kitchen...I was planning to do chicken alfredo tonight, but discovered that chicken had not been added to the shopping list after we used the last of it. So, plan B was rice, corn, and some leftover meat sauce I had in the freezer. I am wearing...blue jean capris and a blue patterned T-shirt. I am creating...scrapbooks. I somehow manage to remain two years behind, but at least I’m not getting further behind. I also have a cross-stitch that is almost done; though it is definitely low on the priority list. I am going...to try to sort through the kids' toys this week and see what can ‘disappear’. I am reading...100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. I am hoping...to return to Alaska soon. (Anyone out there interested in supporting mission radio reaching out to the bush of Alaska?) I am hearing...my husband making phone calls. Otherwise it is blessedly silent now that the kids are in bed. Around the house...the laundry is waiting. I am notorious about getting it halfway done and then forgetting about it. One of my favorite things...is the smell of rain. A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: I plan to keep persevering with the homeschooling. No it doesn’t take that much time or effort (just Kindergarten after all), but we are just starting and it will take time for it to become habit. Our handwriting student workbook arrived today, so we will be figuring out how to add that in to the routine. I am also hoping that we will find a new place to live since we now have less than two weeks left in this house. Here is picture thought I am sharing...  Care Bear exploring the flowers last summer. |
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As I mentioned before due to financial constraints we have a very eclectic curriculum this year. I figure though with it being only Kindergarten it won’t matter so much if I’m piecing things together as long as the basics get covered. I thought I would share what we’re doing (if only to see it written out and understand it myself). Bible Our Bible curriculum is fairly simple right now. We want the kids to learn catechism, so I found a website that has a simple catechism laid out year by year (one question each week). Buddy is also doing Awana Sparks, so that will be his memory verse each week. I want to do a Charlotte Mason memory program with him using those verses so that we will have lots of review. Phonics When Buddy turned 5 we purchased Hooked on Phonics because he was ready, we had friends who had good success with it, and Costco was carrying their entire Hooked on Kindergarten curriculum for a good price. I quickly discovered their rote memorization/ repetition, repetition, repetition did not work for my kinesthetic learner. Thankfully they included a workbook which used pencils, crayons and scissors. We also did a lot of spelling with fridge magnets. When I started looking at how to continue I came across a couple of websites (http://www.mes-english.com & http://www.schoolexpress.com) that have phonics printables for teachers. From these I was able to make some phonics blends flashcards and print some Kindergarten sight words work sheets. Right now we are working on recognizing one set of blends and sight words each week. When we are done with those I have a School Zone ‘Big Phonics’ workbook (also from Costco) that we will use. We will also make use of all the beginning readers that came with the Hooked on Phonics and play some of the reading games they suggested. Math Right now we are finishing up School Zone’s ‘Big Kindergarten’ workbook. Eventually I want to use Math-U-See, but I can’t afford the whole curriculum right now. I watched their demo on their website and figure I will try using the blocks with the School Zone ‘Big Math 1-2’ book that we already have. The blocks arrived yesterday and the kids had a great time checking them out. I will also make use of the Hooked on Math by using it as tests to double check our progress. Handwriting I have decided to go with the Getty-Dubay Italic handwriting. I agree with the ideas behind italic versus stick & ball/ traditional cursive handwriting. The teacher’s manual arrived the other day, but we are still waiting for the student workbook. I also read several articles on the websites for Peterson Directed Handwriting and Barchowsky Fluent Handwriting so I will try to incorporate those teaching styles. Science We’re not doing anything particular for science yet. I found some little books in the homeschooling section of the used book store that have little experiments you can do with young children. We will try to do those as we have time. That’s it for now; as I said, very eclectic. I’ve seen some neat looking stuff that I’m interested in for next year if the Lord provides the finances. One day at a time, one year at a time, right? |
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We had our first official day of school today. Of course, being only Kindergarten and not having all our materials yet, it only took an hour. I think it went fairly well (only one moment of yawns and eye rolling). Even the girls behaved and didn’t fuss for Mommy’s attention; though I did have to hold the Little Guy for most of it. I was hoping to start yesterday, but three of the kids needed immunizations so we spent the day out and about. I think I will try to do school on Saturday so that we still have four days this week. It doesn’t take that long and he doesn’t know the difference anyway. Our curriculum this year is a little of this and a little of that since we are on a very tight budget and I wanted to make use of the materials I had already collected. In other news, we found out this morning that we need to be out of this house by the 22nd. I knew it would be sometime the end of September, but this is a week earlier than I was hoping. I understand their being ready to be back in their own house though; having lived the last two years in temporary housing or with other people. We have been house-sitting/renting for the last two months and were hoping to be headed back to Alaska by this time. As usual God’s timing is not our timing. I think we’re going to have to do a 3-month rental someplace. Unfortunately a furnished rental is out of our price range, but hopefully we can borrow enough from friends to make it work. I am still praying that God will do a miracle and have us fully supported and headed home within the next month. |
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I suppose I should start by introducing myself. I am a stay-at-home (wherever that is), missionary mom from Alaska. We are currently on Home Service which means that we are traveling around visiting friends and supporters and raising more support to return to the field. I have 4 kids – DS “Buddy” is 5⅔, DD “Princess” is just shy of 4, DD “Care Bear” is 2, and the “Little Guy” is 4 months. This is obviously our first year homeschooling. We actually started doing Kindergarten stuff back in January when Buddy turned 5, but it wasn’t anything consistent; maybe once a week. I just knew that he was ready and with a new baby coming and all the travel that it would be best not to wait. One thing we have been consistent with is having him do his Jump Start World Kindergarten program on the computer. This is a great resource, almost a curriculum in itself with ‘report cards’ and tips on how to help your child learn the various concepts. Now that Buddy is officially school age (and the Little Guy is fairly good about a daily routine) I want to be more consistent and intentional with schooling. We’ll see how it goes. |